Ponting: Conditions will decide Tendulkar's opening partner

Ricky Ponting, the Mumbai skipper said that Sachin Tendulkar's opening partner for their opening match against Bangalore on April 4, will be decided depending on the conditions.

In a pre-match press conference that took place on Wednesday, he said, "Anybody can open with Sachin depending upon the weather and pitch conditions. We could end up playing a shorter game as it has been raining here for the past two days, but not today, Keeping this in mind we will decide on the opening combination before the toss."

Although, Mumbai has tried and tested a lot of opening positions in the last couple of seasons, Ponting said that this year they will be hoping that the chosen combination brings in good results.

Ponting said the team will definitely miss Lasith Malinga on Thursday. He said, "It is disappointing to miss him in the first game. Hope he will be okay after a couple of days. Malinga will join the team on April five in Mumbai."

When asked about Malinga's replacement, Ponting replied that the team hasn't yet decided on the playing eleven. "We will take a call on it after taking into account weather and pitch conditions."

"We are thinking of tomorrow's game. We cannot afford to look too far ahead. I am sure towards the end of the tournament, we will be right up there," he also said.